Verdict . News

Jan 13, 2026•4 min read

•Derrick Slade received life imprisonment plus five years supervised release following jury conviction on ten federal counts

11th Circuit Upholds Life Sentence for Gang Leader in RICO Case

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the life imprisonment sentence of Derrick Slade, known as 'D' and 'Solja,' who was convicted on ten counts related to his leadership role in the 'Onsight' criminal gang. The January 13, 2026 decision represents a significant federal victory against organized crime in South Florida.

•Slade was a leader in the 'Onsight' criminal gang operating in South Florida

•Eleventh Circuit affirmed Antoine Johnson's conviction for felon-in-possession of firearm charges

11th Circuit Upholds Felon-in-Possession Conviction in Johnson Case

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed Antoine Johnson's conviction for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, rejecting his challenges to the denial of his motion to suppress and claims of insufficient evidence for sentencing enhancement.

•Court rejected challenges to denial of motion to suppress evidence from traffic stop

•Eleventh Circuit affirmed 132-month sentence for Gary Handford's felon-in-possession conviction

11th Circuit Affirms 132-Month Sentence for Convicted Felon's Gun Possession

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit upheld a 132-month prison sentence for Gary Handford, who was convicted of possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. The sentence was significantly above federal guidelines but below the statutory maximum.

•Sentence was nearly four times above guidelines range of 30-37 months but below 180-month statutory maximum

•Juan Antonio Garcia, a former police officer, received a 310-month federal prison sentence for attempting to produce child pornography and entice a minor

11th Circuit Upholds 26-Year Sentence for Ex-Cop in Child Exploitation Case

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed a 310-month prison sentence for Juan Antonio Garcia, a former police officer who pleaded guilty to attempting to produce child pornography and enticing a minor. The appeals court rejected Garcia's claims of ineffective assistance of counsel in a decision filed Jan. 12, 2026.

•The Eleventh Circuit rejected Garcia's appeal and claims of ineffective assistance of counsel in a per curiam decision

Jan 12, 2026•5 min read

•Eleventh Circuit affirmed Wilson's drug conspiracy and money laundering convictions from Middle District of Florida

11th Circuit Affirms Drug Conspiracy Conviction in Florida Case

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed Alfonso Leon Wilson's convictions for drug conspiracy and unlawful monetary transactions, rejecting his arguments that insufficient evidence warranted a new trial rather than judgment on lesser charges.

•Wilson argued insufficient evidence warranted new trial rather than lesser-included offense judgment

•Kevin Valdez was convicted as a high-level dealer in a cocaine conspiracy importing drugs from Puerto Rico to Florida via U.S. mail

11th Circuit Affirms Drug Conspiracy Sentence for Kevin Valdez

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the conviction and sentence of Kevin Valdez, who was convicted as a high-level dealer in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy that imported narcotics from Puerto Rico to Florida through the U.S. Postal Service. Valdez challenged the district court's sentencing guidelines calculation, but the appeals court rejected his appeal.

•The Eleventh Circuit affirmed his sentence and rejected his challenge to the district court's Guidelines calculation

•Federal appeals court upheld dismissal of prisoner civil rights lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983

11th Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Alabama Prisoner's Civil Rights Case

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed a district court's dismissal of a Section 1983 civil rights lawsuit filed by Alabama state prisoner Chris Dwayne Williams against four Alabama Department of Corrections employees. The appeals court upheld the lower court's finding that Williams failed to state sufficient facts to support his claims.

•Case involved Alabama state prisoner suing four Department of Corrections employees

Jan 9, 2026•4 min read

•Four DeKalb County residents challenged Atlanta's requirement that petition gatherers be city residents

11th Circuit Rules on Non-Resident Petition Rights in Atlanta

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled in *Baker v. City of Atlanta*, addressing whether non-residents can collect petition signatures within city limits. Four DeKalb County residents challenged Atlanta's requirement that petition gatherers be city residents when seeking to repeal a police training facility ordinance.

•The case involves a referendum petition seeking to repeal authorization for a police training facility

Jan 9, 2026•4 min read

•11th Circuit affirmed dismissal of Daker's lawsuit against Georgia Department of Corrections officials

11th Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Serial Litigant Daker's Prison Lawsuit

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has affirmed the dismissal of another lawsuit filed by Waseem Daker, whom the court described as a 'serial litigant' who has 'clogged the federal courts with frivolous litigation.' The case involved claims against the Georgia Department of Corrections and several officials.

•Court described Daker as 'serial litigant' who has filed over 1,000 documents in 100+ cases across nine federal courts